AVENIR GLOBAL makes a change at SHIFT

Industry veteran Rick Murray takes over as Managing Partner

Rick Murray, a PR industry veteran with 20+ years of agency leadership experience in the U.S. and Canada, has been appointed Managing Partner of Boston-based SHIFT Communications.

SHIFT is part of AVENIR GLOBAL, a privately-held agency network based in Montreal which also owns NATIONAL Public Relations. Murray has been Managing Partner of NATIONAL’s Toronto PR operations for the past five years, more than doubling the business during that time behind investments in the office’s analytics, digital and creative capabilities, as well as relaunching its capital markets practice.

“Rick has helped transform our business in Toronto, and been a real champion of greater integration and collaboration across our network,” said Jean-Pierre Vasseur, President & CEO of AVENIR GLOBAL. “SHIFT is one of AVENIR GLOBAL’s crown jewels and core to our U.S. growth strategy, and we’re delighted to have Rick’s passion and drive at the agency’s helm.”

SHIFT, which has offices in Boston, New York and San Francisco, promotes and protects the reputations and businesses of clients in the consumer, B2B, technology and healthcare sectors nationwide. An early champion of the integration of digital and social media in public relations, the agency is now leading clients into the era of data-driven storytelling.

“I’ve been a huge fan of SHIFT and what they’ve been doing for years,” said Rick Murray. “From the first social media press release almost 15 years ago, to the work being done today to turn data into stories that drive the kind of tangible results clients need, they’re always a vanguard for what’s next. I couldn’t be more excited to be part of that future.”

Murray, who started his career in sales and marketing at Ocean Spray Cranberries, is returning to the Boston area once more. He will continue to support many of the network’s Canadian clients from there, including TELUS, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Deloitte and FIGR.